Dear Nick..

Dear Nick Bodey,
       Hi Nicky! I just wanted to tell you that.. I LOVE YOU. You make my day better every time (: I wish we had classes together this year :( Anyways, you've broken a couple stereotypes for me over the time that I've known you. When I first seen you and Noah and your mom, I at first thought you guys wouldn't be as super nice as you were! Your family is the cutest by the way. You haven't changed since that first day of ropes course, you stayed the same adorable, sweet, gentle giant that I've grown to love! Since you are so tall I was a little bit hesitant because tall people are usually kinda mean to little midgets like me, but now I give tall people a chance and it's all because of you! I know this letter is supposed to be like if we never see each other again but, we have to keep in touch for like... Ever.  I'm still always going to be here for you no matter what! You have my number, use it! :P
                          Love, YOUR best friend,  
                                             Lanae (:                                         

If I could live anywhere...

If I could live anywhere on this Earth, I would live in San Fransisco. I would live in San Francisco because there's is warm weather, huge hills, nice people, and I sort of like the thought of being in danger like an earthquake. I'm becoming more and more of an adrenaline junkie and thats why I take a liking to dangerous situations like climbing a waterfall or jumping off a cliff into a body of water. I also understand the severity and distruction an earthwuake could cause and I will make sure to be insured. I like the weather there because it does not get too cold or stay too hot and from living in Northeatern Ohio my entire life, im done with the freezing winters! The is a widely diverse population in San Francisco and I find that to be a very imperative part in finding a place to live. There is a hospital there where I intend to work in if I do make the move to San Francisco as an OB/GYN.

My Favorite Book.

My favorite book is entitled Milkweed and the author is Jerry Spinelli. "He’s a boy called Jew. Gypsy. Stopthief. Runt. Happy. Fast. Filthy son of Abraham.
He’s a boy who lives in the streets of Warsaw. He’s a boy who steals food for himself and the other orphans. He’s a boy who believes in bread, and mothers, and angels. He’s a boy who wants to be a Nazi some day, with tall shiny jackboots and a gleaming Eagle hat of his own. Until the day that suddenly makes him change his mind. And when the trains come to empty the Jews from the ghetto of the damned, he’s a boy who realizes it’s safest of all to be nobody.

Newbery Medalist Jerry Spinelli takes us to one of the most devastating settings imaginable—Nazi-occupied Warsaw of World War II—and tells a tale of heartbreak, hope, and survival through the bright eyes of a young orphan."   The first time I read Milkweed, I did not like it at first because I was forced to read it as a sort of disciplinary action but as I kept reading I began to feel for the main character, Misha, i definitely related to all the questions he asked, thoughts he thought and feelings he felt. This was one of the first books I could really relate to my life and visualize. Around this time history was my favorite subject and the time period its based on was fascinating to me.

“After Apple Picking”

People are motivated by a multitude of things, like money, power, success, satisfaction etc. Achieving these things takes a lot of hard work and determination. Robert Frost’s poem “After Apple Picking” deals with intrinsic (or internal) motivation, or doing something for the pleasure instead of money or reward. Through his use of metaphors, Frost projects the message of fulfilling “dreams”, yet still missing out on other enjoyable things and being tired in the end.

            In “After Apple Picking” the apple picker is motivated by satisfaction the apples make him happy. In the poem it states “There were ten thousand fruit to touch, cherish in hand, lift down and not let fall.” To cherish something means to treat it with love and tenderness. The way he treats the apples shows his love and devotion to them. This is the apple picker fulfilling what he thought was his dream and while he was doing this, his life was passing him by. Readers can learn from this not to focus on their dream too much or next thing you know that’s all you’ve ever done. The apple picker spent his life worrying about the harvest and which apples to make cider with, and now that he is done, he looks back over his life.

            In retrospect, the apple picker realizes just how much of his life apple picking had taken up. All he has to show for is apples. He sees how much he missed out on. It’s not even as if he could go and do whatever it was he missed because it is too late. He is old now; tired. He says “For I have had too much of apple-picking: I am overtired” he shows that no matter how much passion one may have for something it will eventually drift away. And that one must not spend too much time on one thing that makes them happy, but everything that makes them happy. Frost’s display of this is actually helpful to many people.

            No one wants to fulfill one of their dreams and end up old and regretful, tired and bitter. Frost wants people to live a full life and not lose sight of what else is important. Live like were dying, there’s more to life than work. I hope this message stays with me in the future, even though I’m sure it will. I desire to be an Obstetrician/Gynecologist, which is a physician who delivers babies and also specializes in treating diseases of the female reproductive organs. I want to provide life-saving surgeries and deliveries pro-bono to women cannot afford it. The way I see it: If they need it, and I can provide it, why be selfish? Some women have to walk miles, in labor, to a “hospital”.  I believe no child should be brought into this world like that. Pregnancy can still be a beautiful thing. Also, we need women to reproduce in order to survive, right? They need to be taken care of, too. I will not neglect other things I love though. When I have the time I will the other things that make me happy!

One thing I would thing I would change about my past

If I could change one thing that has previously happened in my  life, it would be moving from Parma back to Lorain. Moving here has had a lot pros and cons like the Early College program and finding House of Praise, but the people I've spent a largest portion of my childhood are farther than you would think. We spent years building up expectations of high school and ended up not going to the same school. Being far away, one misses out on lots of things, which can be unpleasant. It is like talking about two different things at the same time. Then again, when we do actually spend time together its like picking up right where we left off yet refreshing at the same time. 

Another reason I miss Parma is I knew where everything was and had a couple connections. I knew who to talk to and where to go to get whatever I needed. Here in Lorain, I'm so lost and don't know very many people. It is like the never-ending first day of school. Honestly, it is a little bit intimidating here, there is like a huge circle of everybody that knows everybody and I'm just standing outside of it. 

Favorite Activity/Hobby

My favorite activity that isn't sleeping, eating or listening to music would have to be talking to Jesus. We talk daily and never run out of things to talk about. He is so good to me! I just have to tell Him, I just cannot thank Him enough for EVERYTHING. We can talk for hours on end. Sometimes He has to deal with my complaints and stubbornness, but it is okay because He is forgiving, understanding and loving.  He can be like whatever is missing from my life, all at once. I can cry on His shoulder, casting my insecurities on Him or just tell Him things that I feel I can't tell anyone without being judged. The thing about Jesus is He desires a relationship with us. Sometimes I think, "That's the least we owe Him for what He did for us". Another thing about Him is He actually took the form of flesh and wentthrough life as a human, when He really didnt have too. He did it to actually go through some things we have to go through to understand us better, leave an example of how to live and die so we can have eternal life. And those simple facts never cease to amaze me. He knows what it is like to be tempted or have His faith tested which is why He is so understanding! I trust His experience and that's another reason I find it so easy to talk to Him. He does know it all already, but He likes it when we tell Him things. And for these reasons, talking to Jesus is my favorite thing to do.

      Israel Houghton      

Favorite Music.

  I would have to say my favorite music is Christian and Gospel. I used to listen to all types of music, R&B, Soul, Hip-Hop, Alternative, but as my relationship with the Lord progressed He showed me how those kinds of music were and are not appropriate . At first, it was extremely hard for me. That was the music I grew up on, the only thing I knew! I had a lot of help and support from members of my church. They introduced me to differen artists and sounds that were similiar or influnced by some of the music i used to listen to which helped a lot.

Secular, or worldly, music is negative and goes against many of the things I believe in. It promotes messages of hate and violence, use of illegal substances, degrades women, and many other things and what kind of Christian would I be encouraging that type of behavior? Chritian music is my favorite, because it is the complete opposite. It glorifies God, has messages of positivity and thanksgiving, can be relatable to things you're going through and it helps staying "in the world but not being of it".

Right now my favorite artist is Israel Houghton because I enjoy his voice, his lyrics come from a real place, and he doesn't stay within the boundaries of "Gospel" or "Christian" music. He has some popular, hip hop, r&b, even raggae influenced songs (musically, not lyrically of course) which is probably why I'm so drawn to his music. He is known for creating and leading the infamous group, Israel & New Breed and they are known for songs like: " You Are Good", "Not Forgotten", "Te Amo", " Say So", "Friend of God', and many, many more.

Should The Government Provide Free Child Day Care?

I believe the government should provide childcare for WORKING parents. Yes, there is the possibility of some people finding a way to take advantage of it, but it would be extremely beneficial to many other people. Parents run into problems (that are sometimes out of their control), and finding (reliable) childcare can negatively impact them in many ways. Free childcare should be provided so they can have a safe place to take their children in the event of situations that may occur which do not allow them to take off work and stay home with their child(ren. If the parent does not have a safe place to take their child and has to keep taking off work they are at risk of losing their employment on account of non-attendance and not getting compensated for the days missed which can negatively impact the household. With the state of the economy, middle-lower income families deserve as much assistance as they can get. If these families can be assisted it can create a stable envirment in the home, and in the long run the children being helped will positively impact society.

Values.

One thing I value is music. I'm sure a lot of people wrote about music, but that is okay because music is just that great, flexible in ways. Music to me is what I need when I need it. It has been that missing parent, best friend, and whatever else my life was missing. It has been my refuge, my safe place, a haven and welcomed me with open arms. Music offers comfort in the fact that it can stay the same when you need it or change when you need it. There's songs that have stayed my favorites and they were released before I was even born! If there's ever a specific song I want to hear at one time I can find it and listen to it on repeat for hours, music is unlimited. If I'm searching for new sounds I can always find those, too. I love music.

Grrr.

I CANNOT wait to drive >=(

Fun summer.

One of the most fun things I did over the summer of 2012 was my birthday. This year I turned 15 and since I am Hispanic (puerto rican to be exact) there was a lot of fuss. A lot of Hispanics believe that 15 is the age a girl becomes a young woman and they celebrate it with something called a quinceñera.

My quince was nerverackingly-exciting. It was exactly on my birthday, July 15. All my closest family and friends were there to celebrate my coming-of-age. I had to wear and poofy dress which made me feel beautifully out of my element. Usually you will catch me in in skinny jeans, a hoodie, and fly kicks but I was wearing the dress, jewelry and heels! I thought I was going to cry walking down the aisle but I held it together. The ceremony was very detailed and beautiful and gooey and stuff. But the reception? I don't remember the last time I partied so hard. That was the most fun I had in a while. My birthday was one of the not fun things I did this summer, as usual

>:(

Where was this app when I needed it last night?

My Name

Lanae. Lanae Lanae Lanae. It means light. In the Bible, it says "You are the light of this world" and, "Be the salt and light." I think that means that I am obligated to be nice and positive. Brighten up people's days. Be a ray of sunshine, so to speak.

When I was younger I really did not like my name. It seemed so hard for every one else to pronounce, when it is only two syllables. It was always mis-spelled and it only has five letters. Life seemed like it would be easier if I had a more common name. I disliked my  name so much, I told my mother that I was going to change it to Reese Cup. given i was around four years old, I had my heart set on that name. As I got older, I began to embrace, and later appreciate, having a unique name.

When I meet someone with the same name as me, even though it may be spelled differently, I find myself treating them with a sort of asperity becouse I feel like I'm the ONLY Lanae in the world and the fact that I'm not, makes me doleful. I guess I just don't have people skills let alone are they in my repertoire because I can't even act like I do..

#1 rule

My number 1 rule is: You reap what you sow. If you put positive energy out there, you get positive results.If you speak negatively over something, you will recieve the consequences. Simple and plain. Stay as positive as you can and you will will ultimately be happier. Stay blessed ;D